Back when I was twentysomething (some time ago now) I went to a movie premiere in London for a Tim Robbins movie called ‘Cradle Will Rock‘.  You probably haven’t seen it as it kinda sank without trace, but it was about a guy who pushes forwards with the production of a play in 1930’s New York against massive pressure from the authorities and incredible odds.  He pushes through, keeps on going, puts on the play and changes lives in the process – simply because it mattered to him.

After the movie there was a Q&A session with Tim and Susan, and a woman sitting in front of me asked Tim, “Do you think the world needs more heroes?”

I was stunned by the question because I hadn’t thought of the character as a hero, but Lizbeth (the woman, who I was so impressed by that I flirted with her at the after party and ended up dating) changed my definition of what a hero is.

Which brings me to Barack Obama.

I’m a lot like him – don’t know if you knew that about me.

Well, actually, now I think about it, I’m not that much like him.  In fact, about the only 2 things we have in common is our love for good pizza and being big fans of Spider-man.

I’ve been a superhero nut forever, and just love the fact that Obama is too.  As far as I’m concerned, that means he understands some fundamental principles about life and courage -

“With great power comes great responsibility…” – Uncle Ben

That Uncle Ben was a smart cookie, and that famous quotation sums up what I love about superhero mythos.

The thought that people are walking among us doing amazing things every single day, by using their power responsibly to help other people and add value to mankind, is one that makes me grin from ear to ear.  The fact that they get to wear cool outfits, fly and shoot laser beams out of their eyes is even cooler.

When Stan Lee first created Marvel Comics, he did so with the aim of creating fantastic characters, but characters who are also wonderfully and tragically human. He populated his comics with characters we can all relate to – people with fears, hopes, anxieties and a whole load of contradictions.  Of course there’s loads of action and fantasy, but that’s all set against a strong thread of humanity that runs through everything.

Here’s another line, this time from the movie Spiderman 2 -

“Everybody loves a hero.  People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they’ll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer.

I believe there’s a hero in all of us. That keeps us honest.  Gives us strength.  Makes us noble.” – Aunt May

Aunt Many rocks just as much as Uncle Ben, and she hit the nail on the head.

We’ve all had people who’ve inspired us, touched us or taught us something important.  Someone who gave us the strength to keep going or showed us that we had the courage to hold on a second longer.

Tim Robbins did just that in that movie I talked about, and I’ll bet my shoes that you have a teacher, a parent, a friend, a partner or whoever else who did something similar in your life.  That’s why I believe that there IS a hero in all of us.

There is a piece of yourself that’s honest, strong and noble.

There’s a part of yourself that knows what you need to do, not just for you but for the greater good.  There is a piece of yourself that can make incredible things happen.

That’s how amazing things happen in the world, and that’s how real, positive change happens – by being confident and courageous enough to tap into that piece of yourself and apply it out there in the world.

Tim Brownson got a great response in a recent article about courage, because I believe it’s a stirring concept that all of us are able to connect with at a deep level.  That article got the response it got because we all relate to the golden humanity that sits at the centre of courage and heroics – the honesty, strength and nobility that we all possess.

I’ll never stop loving super heroes, because I’ll never stop believing that they actually exist, and that they really are all around us.  Maybe I’m living in cloud cuckoo land, but I really don’t care.

What I care about is that people do amazing things every single day, and your potential to do amazing things never diminishes.  As far as I’m concerned you already have great power.  As Uncle Ben says, when you find the confidence to take responsibility for it, you’re a real hero.

That’s why I love that Obama’s a Spider-man fan, because it tells me that he understands.

So you want to be a hero?

1. Imagine that you’re someone out of the ordinary. In fact, you’re completely extraordinary.  You have all kinds of special abilities and powers that you’re just beginning to learn about and that nobody else really knows you have. You’re different. You’re special. You’re unique. You’re amazing.

What difference does knowing that you have all these powers and abilities make? When you’re walking down the street, fixing dinner or in a meeting at work, how does it feel to have all that inside you?

2. Are you being true to who you really are? Are you using your gifts and powers? Are you making the most of who you really are?

3. How can you use your abilities and powers – whether to enhance your own life or the lives of people important to you? How can you add value, simply by using what you were born with?